In a quiet corner of Baghmundi Block, Purulia, something extraordinary is happening. Ten adolescent girls from Literacy India’s Lowakuiand Pratappur Centres are doing what few expected—they’re riding E-Bikes and riding into a new future.
What started with two bikes and a simple goal—mobility—has turned into a movement. For girls in remote villages, transport is often the wall between them and education, freedom, or opportunity. Now, that wall is coming down, oneride at a time.
Girls like Bhabani Sardar and Kiran Mandal now ride to college and help mobilize others. Others deliver craft supplies for Indha,support local sales, and reach out to nearby villages—on wheels.
With each ride, confidence grows. With every kilometre, so does purpose.
Because this isn’t just about learning to ride—it’s about learning to lead.
Deep within the Baghmundi Block of Purulia, where forests meet forgotten paths, Bhabani Sing Sardar is carving a bold new road—on both canvas and two wheels.
A first-generation tribal learner from Lowakui village, Bhabani grew up where early marriage is often the only future offered to girls. But through Literacy India’s Gurukul Program, her story took a different turn. In 2021, she enrolled in our hand-painting course, mastering the art of transforming kettles, coasters, and fabrics into vibrant expressions of hope. Her work is now part of Project Indha, supporting both her college education and her family.
In 2025, Bhabani took another leap—this time through E-Bike Driving Training at our Lowakui Centre. Today, she not only commutes independently to Balrampur College (B.A. 1st Year) but also serves as a community mobilizer, enrolling others into Literacy India’s programs and supporting centre-based initiatives.
With a paintbrush in one hand and handlebars in the other, Bhabani is riding into a future she’s creating for herself—and lighting the way for many more.
In the forested heart of Purulia, West Bengal, where tradition echoes through festivals and folklore, Literacy India has brought alive the ancient spirit of Chhau Dance and Mask Making through immersive workshops for local youth.
A vibrant folk art rooted in the Sun Festival and Indian epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Chhau tells powerful stories through dramatic masks, vivid costumes, and rhythmic body movements. Dancers wear intricate handmade masks—green, red, yellow for the divine; black for the demonic—while leaping and hopping to the pulse of Dhol and Dhamsa drums.
Over four days, students at Pratapur and Lowakui Centre dived into this living tradition:
- At Pratapur, students learned to create Chhau masks—from shaping clay to painting mythological characters with natural colours.
- At Lowakui, students trained in the dance form itself, mastering expressive movements that bring these stories to life.
For many, it was more than an art lesson—it was a rediscovery of identity. They saw how heritage could be more than memory; it could become a livelihood, a legacy.
As the world changes, Literacy India ensures that traditions like Chhauaren’t left behind—but carried forward, powered by skill, pride, and purpose.
In the high-altitude village of Igoo, Ladakh, education for girls often ends early due to distance, harsh terrain, and limited opportunities. Literacy India, in partnership with the DDF Girls Hostel in Leh, is changing that.
Jigmet Disket, a 22-year-old from a farming family, moved to Leh to study at EJM College. With Literacy India’s support, she further trained in culinary skills at our Gurugram campus, learning not just recipes but livelihood tools.
Returning to Ladakh, Jigmet became a trainer at Literacy India’s newly launched Phyang Skills Centre, where she now teaches cooking to girls and women—blending local traditions with practical, income-generating ideas.
Her journey reflects our mission: empowering young women through education, skill-building, and community leadership—even in the most remote corners of India.
In the quiet village of Gharagara, Jharkhand, Rudrapratap Banerjee, a Class 12 graduate, faced life’s hardest test early. After losing his father, he and his mother—who earns just ₹2,000 a month through tailoring—struggled to stay afloat.
But Rudrapratap refused to give in. Passionate about electrical work, he took up small jobs to support his mother, all while dreaming of formal training.
Today, thanks to Literacy India’s Electrical Training Program in Village Jharna , Rudrapratap is gaining the skills he once thought were out of reach—home wiring, repairs, installations—all with unmatched dedication.
He’s not just learning a trade; he’s building a future—one circuit at a time.
At Literacy India’s Sarbari Centre, we’ve always believed that when women support one another and find strength in their skills, the impact reaches far beyond the individual. Priya Layek’s journey is a powerful example of that ripple effect in motion.
Once a tailoring student, Priya quietly nurtured a dream—to start something of her own, to uplift her family, and to inspire other women in her village. That dream took shape after she attended an Entrepreneur Meet at the Centre and watched UDAN, a motivational film featuring stories of real women who turned skills into enterprises. It was the nudge she needed.
With guidance from her trainer and Centre In-Charge, Priya formed a team with two fellow learners. Together, they launched a women’s nightie-making business, each investing ₹5,000 as seed money. They sourced fabric from the Purulia market, designed four styles, and handled stitching and finishing with care. To expand their reach, they brought another local woman on board as a sales person—turning their vision into a community effort.
In just 20 days, their first batch of nighties sold out in the village and nearby areas. They later sourced better-priced materials from Shantipur, increasing profits, and began supplying to local garment shops. Over 300 women’s nighties have been sold so far.
Now, the team is also stitching blouses and kurtis, and Priya has a bigger goal—to open a tailoring hub and garment outlet, where more women can learn, work, and earn.
Through Literacy India’s ecosystem of skill-building, mentorship, and entrepreneurial support, Priya’s quiet ambition has grown into collective empowerment—a true ripple effect of skill and sisterhood.
